Tag: Andrew Rosindell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the strategic military importance of Gibraltar to the UK.

Mike Penning

The UK continually monitors our defence presence in Gibraltar and routinely adjusts our force posture and resources as appropriate. Gibraltar is, and will remain a key centre for the UK’s Defence interests and the UK Government takes its responsibility for protecting the sovereignty of Gibraltar very seriously. The UK maintains a permanent military presence in Gibraltar in recognition of its enduring geo-strategic importance as the gateway to the Mediterranean, assuring maritime transit routes and maintaining access to Cyprus and the Suez Canal in support of UK national interests.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to prioritise the sourcing of UK-made components and materials for the construction of Hinkley Point C.

Jesse Norman

The Department has been clear with EDF as the developer of Hinkley Point C, as well as all other potential new nuclear developers in the UK, that we expect substantial involvement of UK industry in their projects. Government has taken steps through the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, with the support of Nuclear Industry Association and the National Skills Academy for Nuclear, to develop UK skills and capabilities, and to identify manufacturing opportunities. This has contributed to UK firms being in a good position to supply components and materials for new nuclear construction. The UK content figure has steadily increased as we have worked with the UK supply chain to help them succeed in winning contracts and EDF now expects 64% of the value of Hinkley Point C to be spent in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of any potential effects of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on food standards in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could be worth £10 billion to the UK and is about encouraging exports and economic growth. It is not about lowering standards. All food entering the European Union (EU) from the United States of America must adhere to the EU’s import rules and TTIP will not change that. Any changes to food safety standards in the EU must be subject to a robust scientific risk assessment and agreed by Member States.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of legal costs to his Department in defending service personnel in relation to actions carried out in the course of duty; what estimate he has made of the proportion of such costs which relate to cases where the accused service personnel are acquitted; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt

The total legal costs borne by the Ministry of Defence relating to actions carried out by Service personnel while on duty are over £100 million. The costs of providing the defence for Service personnel facing specifically Courts Martial or a Service Civilian Court, amounted to approximately £750,000 in financial year 2014-15. The costs of providing the defence for current and former Service personnel facing criminal investigations relating to operations in Northern Ireland during the "Troubles" period, has amounted to approximately £142,000 since 7 February 2014. The expenditure on behalf of defendants in Courts Martial or Service Civilian courts related to 394 individuals, of whom 95 were acquitted. The relevant criminal proceedings in Northern Ireland are ongoing.

The vast majority of Defence litigation expenditure relates to civil cases. As an example, £31 million was spent on the Al-Sweady Public Inquiry which concluded that all of the serious allegations that were raised, were wholly without foundation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to encourage other NATO member states to honour their commitment to spend two per cent of GDP on defence.

Michael Fallon

Ministry of Defence Ministers, officials and I regularly raise the two per cent commitment during discussions with Allies. I reminded my counterparts at the NATO Defence Ministers Meeting in October that we have committed to spending two per cent of our GDP on defence and security every year of this decade and we have historically been one of the few Allies to invest 20 per cent of our budget in major equipment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for peace in the Arabian peninsular of the Gulf coalition’s efforts to restore President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi’s government to power in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We support the Saudi Arabia-led coalition military action following President Hadi’s request for support by ‘all means and measures to protect Yemen and deter Houthi aggression’. The Houthis have consistently failed to implement their commitments made in the Peace and National Partnership Agreement, adhere to UN Security Council Resolutions and continue to use force to achieve their aims.

The Coalition has played a crucial role in reversing the military advance of the Houthis and forces loyal to former president Saleh, which is now helping create the conditions for the return of the legitimate Yemeni Government. Military gains must now be used to push forward the political process, which remains the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to ensure that (a) UN membership of the European Convention on Human Rights and (b) other human rights measures do not adversely affect the ability of service personnel to discharge their duties in conflict zones.

Penny Mordaunt

The Government is committed to upholding civilised standards in armed conflicts, and our view is that international humanitarian law, as embodied in the Geneva Conventions, set those standards. We are concerned that legal developments have the potential to impose unacceptable constraints on the Armed Forces when they are deployed to defend the UK and its interests. A commitment to address this problem was made in the Government’s Manifesto this year. Accordingly, we are considering the options available to safeguard the ability of our Armed Forces to do their job. We want to ensure that our Service personnel are not pressured to become unduly risk averse because of the fear of litigation or by the prospect of legal harassment, and that commanders are able to take the rapid and often high risk decisions necessary during military operations. We will announce our proposals in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason he included previously excluded expenditure such as war pensions in the latest UK response to NATO’s defence spending requirement.

Michael Fallon

From time to time we update our Defence spending calculations, to ensure that we are fully reflecting the NATO guidelines

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the (a) Palestinian Authority and (b) Israeli government on recent violent attacks in that region.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are deeply concerned by the recent violence across the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel. We strongly condemn all acts of violence and all incitement to commit acts of violence.

Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government, urging them to use their influence to de-escalate the tensions.

The most recent discussion with the Palestinian Authority was on 9 October when the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) spoke to President Abbas about the violence. On 8 October, our Consul General in Jerusalem raised our concerns in his meetings with President Abbas’ political adviser, Majdi Khaldi; Palestinian chief negotiator and Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, Sa’eb Erekat; and the Palestinian Chief of Police, Hazem Attallah.

The most recent discussion with the Israeli government was on 19 October when Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns with Israel Cabinet Secretary, Avichai Mandleblit. On 16 October, the Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser, Mark Lyall Grant, spoke to Israel’s National Security Adviser, Yossi Cohen, and reiterated the need for both sides to do everything in their power to calm the situation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward plans to suspend UK membership of the European Convention on Human Rights in respect of UK military operations.

Dominic Raab

The Government will legislate for a Bill of Rights to protect our fundamental rights, prevent abuse of the system and restore some common sense to our human rights laws

The Prime Minister has told the House that, “The plans that were set out in our manifesto do not involve us leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, but let us be absolutely clear about our position if we cannot achieve what we need… I rule out absolutely nothing…”

The Government will fully consult on our proposals before introducing legislation for a Bill of Rights. We will set out our proposals in due course.